Iraq accepts Iran request for joint drone probe

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi on Saturday approved an Iranian request for a joint investigation into drone launch platforms found near the Iraq-Iran border, according to Sabah Al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The announcement follows Friday’s drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions. Saudi authorities said the drones were launched from Iraqi territory, causing injuries and damage and forcing a temporary precautionary shutdown of the pipeline.

An Iraqi investigation later found that the attacks originated from a site in Maysan, a southern province bordering Iran. Al-Zaidi subsequently removed the commander of Maysan Operations Command and the province’s police chief from their posts.

A source told Shafaq News that Baghdad had closed the Shalamcheh, Al-Sheeb and Mandali border crossings with Iran as an “economic penalty” against Tehran. The source alleged that materials, weapons and equipment used to manufacture drones had entered Iraq from Iran and were later used by factions to attack Saudi Arabia.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions, denied involvement in the attacks and expressed readiness to cooperate with the government investigation. No group has claimed responsibility.